Explained: How Fatty Liver Index can help diagnose lifestyle diseases

Hyderabad: Fatty Liver Index is emerging as an easy tool to diagnose fat accumulation in the liver. This index helps to diagnose the early onset of diabetes, hypertension, and other co-morbidities. Different studies on fatty liver show that it is one of the signs for early diagnosis of lifestyle diseases and must not be ignored.

With diagnosis in the form of annual and general check-ups carried out in working population it has been found that fatty liver is a common remark in diagnosis.

On an average, 28.1% of the people who underwent diagnosis report fatty liver. Of these 52.8% are in the high-risk group which means that there is already an onset of lifestyle disease of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

What is Fatty Liver?

Fatty liver is the accumulation of fat around the liver. An enzyme in the liver indicates the accumulation of fat. It is a silent disease. Fatty Liver Index (FLI) has been identified as a marker to understand the early onset of diseases.

FLI helps to understand the accumulation of fat in the liver. It consists of:

· Waist circumference

· Body Mass Index

· Triglyceride levels

· GGT enzyme levels in the liver which is carried out by liver function tests

FLI is categorised into three groups:

· Low risk: FLI <30

· Indeterminate 30-><60

· High risk >60 (fat deposit in the liver is very high)

Fatty Liver Index is emerging as a marker in understanding the early onset of diabetes. Dr. Bhageerth Raj D, a medical gastroenterologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderguda says, "Many people in India have high sugar levels which are not identified. A fatty liver index is a marker to identify those cases which are missed. It is not a gold standard but can help to indicate early stages which are often missed."

Fatty liver: A silent epidemic in India

The number of people suffering from fatty liver due to sedentary lifestyle is increasing. There are no symptoms of fatty liver. It is a silent and slow onset in the body.

There are some people who have upper abdominal pain and fatigue. Many of the people are diagnosed during routine general check-ups. Only those who visit specialists are taken up for further checks or advised to reduce weight.

Steps to reduce fatty liver

Weight loss of at least 10% a year is important via regular exercise, good quality of sugar control, and maintaining a healthy diet. Food rich in high fiber, low calories, and low fat content will help to keep the liver healthy which is an important organ in regulating blood sugar levels in the body.